1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to the field of information handling systems and, more specifically, to displaying removable storage system information.
2. Description of the Related Art
As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
The diversity and amount of data managed by information handling systems continues to grow for consumer, corporate and government markets alike. This growth is driving the need for cost effective, scalable storage systems that can be quickly and easily configured for a wide variety of uses and applications. One approach to address these needs is the use of self-contained, transportable mass storage units that easily attach to a variety of systems. Another popular approach consists of mass storage devices that are mounted in standardized, interchangeable modules that can be transferred between systems. These interchangeable mass storage units are commonly used in the implementation of redundant array of independent disks (RAID) subsystems, which are already popular in corporate and government environments and are now gaining consumer acceptance as well.
RAID subsystems can share or replicate data across multiple disk drives, any of which can typically be removed and replaced (“hot swapped”) while the system is running. While a RAID controller can check a disk's information to determine its identity and assignment to a particular array or group, this information is not directly visible to a user from the drive itself. Furthermore, a user is unable to visually verify a drive's contents, available capacity or whether the data it contains is authorized for use by a predetermined system. Instead, users have generally resorted to physical labels attached to the disk drive's body or enclosure to track the drive's identity, assignment, contents and available capacity. These labels are typically handwritten or printed by the system they are either currently or previously attached to. In some approaches, labels include bar codes to facilitate cataloging, tracking, retrieving and auditing a disk drive's usage and provenance. Regardless of their implementation, the user either has to trust that the information on the label is current and accurate, or else attach the removable disk to a system for verification. As a result, these uncertainties introduce potential errors and inefficiency into the use of removable drives, especially as the number of drives in use increases. Accordingly, removable and portable storage systems also need to provide a persistent, accurate, and up-to-date visual display of their identity and contents.